Beyond Our Titles (Alpha/Omega Book 2/3) [Boy/Boy] - 2012

Chapter 3: It's Just a Disguise

               I rounded up all the girls, who were more than happy to play dress up, and surrendered. They rubbed a sticky solution over me, aimed to dye my skin with a translucent layer of blue, giving it a slightly grayish hue. They bathed me, redyed my hair, and made me a new outfit so I would fit in with the other Vampires. It was a short sleeved shirt that cut off at the very end of my shoulder with a thick vest to layer. I was in ripped pants made of a material that was foreign to me and chains galore. "How do I look?" 

They examined their work but one of them objected. "Your face doesn't look right - it looks too alive." Then everyone else nodded in agreement. 

"Come this way Lauren, I think I know what to do." I followed her over to one of the mirrors and watched as she applied scraps of hardened felt to my lips, making them looked horribly chapped and added a bit of dark power under my eyes.  

The door swung open and Pyro strode it. "Lauren, I'm begging you not to go through with this plan." He looked up at me with wide eyes, like a child's. "I just lost my dad a couple of weeks ago; please don't make me loose you as well." He took my hands in his but I pulled away. 

"I'm already going to do it Pyro. I am the Sayrin and I will not let anymore Districts fall while I am in rule. Thousands - possibly millions - of people could die and I couldn't be able to live with that." 

"-and if you get caught? What's going to happen to us?" 

The girls slowly backed away as if they were frightened. "Then I guess you'll have to take over for me." I shrugged and headed for the window. 

"Lauren-" 

I swiftly turned. "You're not going to change my mind Pyro!" I walked back over to him with my hand out. "Map please." 

He hesitated before dropping the crumbling paper into my hand. I opened it to see he had totally retraced my prior path, avoiding dark splotches and what I assumed was a river. "Thank you and I leave everything in your hands while I'm gone. I turned on my heels and headed for the window again. 

"Lauren -" He tried again. 

"Pyro, I already told you, you're not gonna stop me." 

"I know." He rubbed the bridge of his nose. "It's just that only Demons can fly. If you use your wings to get there then you'll give yourself away." 

I slightly blushed and was suddenly thankful for all the make-up that thickly layered my skin. "Right." I stalked over to the door and let myself out, hoping I was making the right decision for my District. 

               I landed on the all too familiar tree, my wings folding back into place. I could hear Jacoby slightly whining from within the tent walls and all I wanted to do was hold him, to quell his crying. I looked at the surrounding area but saw no other Shifters. "This is getting easier." I smiled before gliding down to the ground, my feet landing with a soft thump. I approached the tent and moved the fabric aside. Jacoby, as usual, was in his crib and Jay was nowhere in sight. 

I walked over to him, folding him into my arms. He stared up at me and smiled as if he could see though the disguise. "Hey little guy." I smiled and pulled him closer to me as I rested his head against my heart. The sound seemed to calm him down... 

His small hand wrapped around my finger and I could feel the edges of my eyes burning. This could be the last time I saw him and I wanted to make the most of it. Within the next minute he was ripped from my arms and I was forced to the ground. I lay on my back, staring up at Jay with Jacoby in his arm. In his free hand was a knife, pointed right at my throat. "What the hell are doing here?!" 

I held my hands up in surrender, "I - I um.." 

"State your business luster!" He spat and lunged. 

I quickly turned onto my side, narrowly missing the knife point. He didn't recognize me; he thought I was an actual vampire... "Jay it's me!" I cried and the knife struck the dirt again, this time slicing a painful trail through my arm. I jumped to my feet, taking the weapon with me. "Jay, do you hear me?!" 

He stopped as if I had struck him. "Lauren?" I fell to my knees, my hand coming up around the hilt of the embedded object. He quickly put Jacoby back in his crib and ran to my side. "Lauren, I'm so sorry." 

"Don't worry about it. You were just trying to protect Jacoby." I pulled the metal object from my arm, gridding my teeth so I wouldn't cry out. "You honestly thought I was a vampire?"  

"Well yeah, look at you." He pulled some cloth from a nearby kit and bound my arm to limit the bleeding. "I didn't hit anything major so you should be okay. Why are you dressed like this?" 

"A covert operation?" I smiled. "I'm going to be spying on the Vampire District because some Specials have gone missing." 

"Do you hear yourself? You aren't a pup anymore - this isn't a game of spies. This is your life!" Did he still care about me enough to castigate me like this? 

I stood; ignoring the pain in my arm. "I already got this lecture from Pyro so if you don't mind, I just wanted to say good bye to Jacoby." 

"I don't know who Pyro is but he was making some kind of sense." 

I ran a hand through my hair and blew air out of my mouth, "I'm not a pup and nor am I a spawn anymore. I know what I'm doing and I know how dangerous it is." I walked back over to him, forgetting how much taller he was. "I can't let what happened with the Special District happen again. I'm asking for an alliance, our numbers will be greater and we'll have a greater chance against the Vampire District." 

"No Lauren. I don't even know why you're here. I thought I made it clear." He stood straight, his arms crossing tightly over his chest. 

My lips started to tingle at the thought of his action. "The kiss of betrayal? I didn't betray you Jay!" 

"Then what do you call joining another District when you know Demons and Shifters don't get along?" 

"I had no choice! I was taken there against my will and the people there came to depend on me. My father was a ruthless ruler and everyone feared him. The only one that dared stand up against him ended up dead." The Grand Levi technically didn't pass because he was the first to ask my father to stand down but Jay didn't need to know that. "I was the only other one that could take the Sayrin's place and they took it. Now, as the current Sayrin, I ask for an alliance unless you want the whole Shifter District wiped out and everyone you know taken prisoner or killed - and that includes Jacoby." His face was blank and he just stood there, looking at his young pup.

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A/N

So, what did you guys think? Sorry it had taken me so long to update, I just got out of testing and I'm freaking because I hate to take the SAT on Saturday O_o I'm well off. haha anyway, leave a comment and thanks for reading!